The Professor's Daughter
by Alecto Purcell
Summary: As the adopted daughter of the headmaster, Ruby's first year at Hogwarts should be easy, but from the moment she reaches platform 9 3/4, everything goes wrong. Over the course of the year everything she thought she knew will get turned upside down. AU Gen
1. Chapter 1: Jump

Authors Notes: I've already written several chapters of this fiction. Rereading the first sections, I think my writing has improved as I've written and found my flow. They always say starting is the hardest part :) I've gone back over this, and changed what I've thought i could, but I still don't think it's up to standard, so any feedback is welcome. I'd ask anyone who comes to this fanfic to try getting past the first chappter.

Chapter 1 - Jump

On the first of September I woke up desperately early. I had gone to bed late the night before, but despite my tiredness I felt more awake and energised than I ever had in my life before. I simply couldn't convince myself to sleep. My father, Professor Dumbledore and I would be flooing down to London to catch the train from platform nine and three quarters to Hogwarts this very day - I was eleven and it was finally time for me to learn magic. Professor Dumbledore wasn't really my father - he had adopted me when I was younger. I've known since I was five. Sometimes - rarely, but still sometimes - it made me sad and I wondered if he dicn't love me - there were times when he could be cold to me, but other times I felt very close to him, and we got along very well. He had always been very kind to me.

I took my time washing and dressing, knowling that I had woken early enough to be relaxed. I wasn't sure what to wear because I didn't spend a lot of time around other wizards or witches, other than those in the school who wore the uniform. In the end I chose a long emerald dress that looked a bit like a robe with plain black lace sleeves. I didn't want to stand out too much either in the muggle world or on the train and I thought that the dress would look alright -if a little unusual - in both cultures. We had planned that he would not accompany me into the station so that we wouldn't attract too much attention. My father wanted me to start school as easily as possible without any special treatment, and being seen with the headmaster would put me apart from my peers straight away.

When I was properly dressed I went back to my room - maybe for the last time all year! I thought excitedly. After all my life watching students pass through hogwarts, finally I would be one! I'd already read a lot of the books, but I wanted to start actually doing magic. Once I'd finished making sure my room was tidy and packed my trunk I dragged it down to my father's office next to the fireplace. He was sitting at his desk writing a letter and when he heard me come through the door.

"Good morning Ruby," he said with a smile "You are particularly loud this morning"

"It because I'm excited!" I grinned.

"I can tell," he replied "You're never usually up this early."

I pouted because being a late riser is one of my many faults, and he always teased me about it! He rose slowly from his desk. "Would you like to breakfast in the great hall, or shall we eat here?"

I considered for a moment because I knew that all the teachers would be back. I was very close to some of them, but I didn't know if I wanted them to think about me as more than a student right before the start of the year.

"Lets go down," I said, realising that I wanted a chance to meet them again before they became my teachers.

I skipped down the turning staircase as my father followed gracefully after me.

Before we reached the great hall he placed a hand on my shoulder and said somberly "After today I cannot remain just as your father. I will be your teacher too, and that means that I will have to treat you like any other student during the school year. You will also have to behave like any other student as I cannot make exceptions for you." He smiled softly. I placed a hand on top of the one on my shoulder and smiled back.

"Don't worry father, I'm looking forward to being a student. I know I can't act like a kid anymore." As I said it I felt a lump in my throat and I realised that I was worried too. I didn't want to show it though, so I grinned brightly and skipped into the dining room.

At the staff table there was a place set for me as usual so I sat down next to professor McGonagall. She didn't smile at me but I could see her lips twitch a bit.

"Morning Auntie!" I said. Professor McGonagall is something like an aunty to me. We're very different people but I know that she cares about me and I care about her.

"Now, ruby, after today we won't have any more of that!"

"I know, but this is the morning and school hasn't even started yet!"

"Well, after today you will be a student at this school! and one had best start as one means to go on!"

I laughed and started to put some fruit on my plate. I spotted that there were some thin English pancakes further down the table so I reached over to grab some, almost letting one of my selves catch in the oatmeal. As I did so I caught professor snape's eye and he glared darkly at me. I snatched the pancake back quickly, not wanting him to have chance to scald me. Professor Snape always glares at me. I think he finds me annoying, but I never did wrong around him. I ate my pancake quickly and then asked to leave the table, telling my dad I would meet him in his study at ten o'clock.

Back in my room I listend to music for a while and read a book of unusual muggle fairy tales my father used to read to me when I was younger. At half past nine, I packed it away and checked that I had everything in my trunk that I needed. It wasn't like I couldn't get anything I'd forgot, but my father wanted me to have an authentic a time at hogwarts as possible. I took out my wand for about the three hundreth time since I'd got it. Rose wood and phoenix feather, nine and a half inches. It already felt like a part of me, and I was dying to start using it to cast spells.

I barely noticed the time, and before I knew it was ten o'clock, and I raced down the stairs. My father was waiting for me by the fireplace. I said goodby quickly to fawkes who nudged me gently with his beak. At the fireplace my father knealt down and looked me in the eye.

"You must remember," he said quietly "That once you begin school, I am professor dumbledore. I do not want you to receive any negative attention, should your schoolmates believe you are receiving any special attenuation."

I smiled and nodded. He went first, taking my trunk with him. I followed him quickly, and stepped out in to a old dingy house neauseously. We were only ten minutes from kings cross, in a house reserved for the staff at hogwartts to use to floo in to this part of London. My dad quickly conjured a cart for my trunk and we set off on to the busy pavement toward kingscross railway station.

At the entrance to the station we paused and stood for a second. My father put his hand on my shoulder again.

"I will see you at school."

I nodded, and without saying anything turned into the crowds. When I glanced back my father had already apparated away. As I tugged my trunk through the barriers and headed towards the platform, I got this horrible feeling like some one was watching me. I shivered despite the warm air and looked around. I couldn't see anything, so I carried on. Still feeling nervures I glanced around again, and caught sight of a messy head of dark hair tugging a similar trunk and a snowy owl, looking lost. I made my way towards him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hogwarts?" I asked.

He nodded shyly, and as he did so I recognized that he was Harry Potter from the scar on his for head. I didn't want to say anything, because I knew how it could feel when people constantly gawked at you, and didn't like you for who you were. At hogwarts I'd always been just the headmaster's daughter, and I'd always felt a little alone and singled out in a crowd.

"I'm Ruby," I said "You can't find the platform, right?"

He shook his head and mumbled something.

"Come on, I'm going there too. You're a first year, right?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Me too." I replied. "Are you on your own?" I asked, because it seemed odd that someone as famous as Harry Potter would be on his own.

"Yeah," he replied "My aunt and uncle had to take my cousin to the hospital."

My eyebrows rose. "To saint mungos?"

He shook his head. "No, they're going to a muggle hospital. My cousin - never mind"

"Go on!" I said, smiling cheekily.

"It's a secret," he replied, flushing. I poked him.

"You can tell me, I promise! I swear on my name, Darkruby Dumbledore."

"You're replated to dumbledore!"

I nodded, "I wasn't going to say, but you're harry potter, right?"

He nodded and flushed. "Yeah. And Dudley - my cousin - Hagrid made him grow a pigs tale. he's getting it taken off!"

I laughed. We chatted for a while as we made our way to the barrier and then I stopped to explain it to him.

"this is the barrier here. you just have to walk through it. I'll show you!"

"Okay."

I set off towards the barrier at a sedate pace. knowing I wouldn't need to run to make it through. I slipped through the barrier easily - and suddenly panicked! instead of the busy platform which I had expected, the world was suddenly swallowed in a gaping abysm of darkness, eldritch shapes seemed to seep in from every corner of my vision. I shrieked, but I could hear no sound. Out of the darkness a distant coruscation began, flickering like a fire. Suddenly I realised I was soaring through the darkness, and as the light grew closer I realised it was a great schysm in the ground, out of witch the very fires of hell seemed to roil - and suddenly I was falling, falling... a high pitched screech rose all around me, a whistle, pitching out of the darkness.

I felt the ground beneath me and opened my eyes. I was on platform nine and three quarters and the train was just begining to pull out of the station. Panicking, I snatched up my trunk, not realising it was suddenly light as air and ran like the wind after the steadily accelerating train. I leaped towards an open door like I had wings at my back and a pale hand reached out and caught me, tugging me on to the train, I had only a glimpse of the stranger, his handsom face, dark hair and rich eyes, and the soft playing smirk on his lips before he seemed to turn into the shadows and disappear.

Shaken, I tugged my once again heavy trunk towards the corridore and began searching for somewhere to sit.


	2. Chapter 2: Burn

Chapter 2 - Burn

After a couple of minutes of searching I spotted harry sitting with a ginger boy in a compartment just a little way down the train. Wanting to be polite I knocked a couple of times on the door and then pushed it open. Harry grinned and waved me in so I pulled my trunk through the door and pushed it back out of the way.

"What happened?" asked Harry. "I couldn't find you when I got the other side. Ron and his bothers had to help me on to the train!"

"Sorry," I said, searching desperately for a way to explain what had happened. "I... something weird happened. We can talk about it at school, right? I nearly missed the train, I just want to calm down now!"

"Yeah okay," He said. "This is Ron Weasley, by the way. Ron, this is Darkruby Dumbledore"

"Call me Ruby," I said, grinning at Ron whose eyes had gone wide with surprise.

"You're related to Dumbledore?" Ron said, and I seriously thought his eyes would pop out of his head.

"He adopted me when I was lots younger because my mum couldn't look after me."

This wasn't the whole story, but I didn't want to explain to them everything about my family right there and then. When I was a lot younger, Father explained to me that one of my ancestors was a demon, and that I'd been given to him to care for because he was the only person in the world left that knew about me and would be able to handle whatever happened if I turned into a demon myself. He explained that my true father had died a long time ago, and that my mother had been pregnant with me for many years before my birth, due to my demonic heritage.

I've never really worried about it too much myself. My father raised me to know that no matter what someone is, it's the actions they take that make them a good or bad person. I just don't want other people finding out - I don't want them to be scared of me, or to try and hurt me or my father because of what I am.

"So are you like harry?" Ron said, breaking in on my thoughts. "Did your parents... you know, in the war?" He looked sheepish and I winced at his insensitivity. Harry caught my eye and we shared a look.

"I... My father died before I was born and my mother... is ill." I didn't feel right lying, but I couldn't think what else to say. Ron seemed to take my reluctance as sadness.

"Sorry." he said.

" 'sokay" I replied, Smiling.

After a while the lunch lady came round. Ron only had sandwiches and I had some pumpkin pasties the house elves had made me, But harry seemed so enchanted by the myriad sweets and candies that he bought far more than even the three of us could manage.

I noticed that Ron seemed pretty awkward about it all. I thought he was being a bit silly - he couldn't help it if he only had corned beef sandwiches. I didn't say anything though because I didn't want to upset him, and we were having fun guessing the flavours of the every flavour beans.

It was a warm day, and feeling sleepy I reseed my head against the window, just thinking to rest my eyes for a while. As I drifted off to sleep, I began to feel hotter and hotter. Before I knew it I was back in the vision from before. My eyes were closed, but all around me I could feel the heat from scorching flames. I was lying face down. I forced my eyes open to a squint, but the heat was so fierce I had to cover them with my hand. The floor beneath me was black marble, and I was in the middle of a huge coliseum. all around me I could see a wasted city of black marble and scorched alabaster. Smoke curled up from deep cracks in the ground, and in the distance I could see the bright burning of a firey sea.

I stood slowly, and my eyes began to adjust to the heat. They felt hot, but not burning, as if their own internal fire protected me from the scorching wind. I felt odd, somehow, as if there was more to me than when I first imagined, and when I glimpsed behind, I caught sight of something that nealy made me scream - two black feathered wings stretched out behind me. I recognised the feeling instantly - it was how I felt when I jumped to catch the train at kings cross, the feeling of power at my back.

I sweapt my wings out, the movement coming as easy as breathing, and as I made to close them and leap into the air, my vision swam and I started awake. The door to the compartment had just opened and a pale blond boy swaggered in, followed by two huge boys who were trying to look threatening. I recognised the blond almost immeadiately as Draco Malfoy. His father lucius was one of the governers of hogwarts, and he'd often been around bothering my father and complaining about things like the number of muggle borns in the school.

"Is it true." he said rudely, without introducing himself first. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" He talked to harry directly, completely ignoring me and Ron.

"Yes," said Harry, clearly taken aback.

"this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," He said, noticing us all stairing at the massive gorillas behind him "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Ron looked like he was about to laugh, but managed to hind it behind a cough. He obviously wasn't that familiar with some of the more traditional naming traditions in the wizarding world.

"Think my name's funny, do you. No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford!" Glancing at Ron and remembering how awkward he'd been before I cut Malfoy off there, wanting to distract Ron and him from qny kind of argument.

"Shut up, Snake!" I said loudly.

"And who're you?" he snapped at me.

"Darkruby Dumbledore." I said, as scathingly as possible.

He laughed and I felt my eyes go hot, as a feeling of cold sweapt down my spine.

"You're related to that mad old coot are you?"

Before I could think better of it, my wand was in my hand.

"rictusempra!" I shouted, using the first spell I could remember from my books.

I regreted it immediately, because I hardly knew how to hold my wand, never mind cast spells. The magic picked him up off his feet and sweapt him backwards, into his towering bodyguards. He stumbled away and then they all ran away down the corridor. I let out a breath, pleased he wasn't too hurt. The burning in my eyes began to calm, and the cold ice in my spine began to recede. I turned to face harry and Ron, and they were both watching me with wide eyes.

"Wow!" said Harry, but Ron was watching me awkwardly.

"You..." his eyes, flicked to my own, and he glanced away nervously. "You err... " And then I caught sight of my reflection. My eyes were literally burning - the irises coiling and twisting like flames. I backed away from them, pocketing my wand.

"Errr...l... bathroom!" And I dashed out of the compartment as fast as I could.

In the corridor I leaned heavily against the door, breathing out and trying to get my temper under control. I hated it when people insulted my dad, but I was surprised at how quickly I let myself get out of hand. I hoped rumours wouldn't spread because I knew Father would be disappointed. I let out a long deep breathes the last of the firey temper cooled, leaving me feeling worried and upset.

I didn't have long to think about it though because a girl appeared in front of me.

"Are you alright? I must say, you don't look well."

I jumped.

"Err, hi! I'm fine... just."

"Boys." She said. " They were trying to do magic while you were asleep, but I don't think they were even using a propper spell, just a rhyme or something. Oh, I'm Hermione Granger."

I smiled. " Call me Ruby," I said, not wanting to have to explain everything again. "It's not their fault. This rude boy just came in and I got upset so I came outside to calm down."

"Was he blond?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah!" I said. "His name is Draco Malfoy."

"He was very rude while I was looking for Neville's toad."

"He would be, he's a Malfoy" I said with a grin, but hermione only looked confused.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, "Are you a muggleborn?"

She nodded.

"The Malfoys are a rich old pureblood family. They're really stuck up. A word of advice - the Malfoys and all the other slytherin families - they can be really stuck up about people coming from muggle families, so keep it quiet when you're around them." I smiled apologetically. I didn't want to explain to her too much about the wars - we would learn enough of that at school, and if she'd only just found out she was a witch, something like that could really upset her - she already looked disappointed.

"I read about the war" She said, "I thought that kind of thing was all over," She sighed audibly but seemed to brighten up all at once.

"Still, which house do you think you'll be in? Gryffindore seems to be the best but I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be that bad."

"Gryffindor!" I said, hoping with all my heart that I would belong there.

"Well anyway, I'd better keep looking for Neville's toad," With that she turned away and marched down the corridor.

Feeling better, I turned and went back into the compartment. When I opened the door, Harry and Ron were talking in hushed voices. As soon as I entered they went quiet and glanced guiltily at me. I smiled at them and sat back down, but it all felt very tense.

"So err.. how long do you think we've got left?" I asked.

"Dunno." Said harry.

"Does anyone know the time?" They both shrugged, so I got up and ducked into my trunk, searching for a watch I had been given for my birthday.

six pm - we had about an hour and a half left. Despite the eventful day, I could feel the excitement building up inside me. In a few hours, I would be a student at hogwarts! I pulled out my black school robes. I'd always thought they looked stuffy, but now I couldn't wait to get changed.

"I think we'll be there in about an hour and a half. You should put your robes on!"

I left them there to go and get changed in the bathroom, and carefully knocked on the door to check if they were done when I came back.

They were silent this time I entered, perhaps because they'd had warning when I knocked. I sat down and we were all quiet for a while, sitting the the awkward silence. After a while, ron managed to get harry talking about quidditch again. I went to my trunk and pulled out the first book I came to. It was my book of fairy stories. I sat with it on my lap, not even reading it, just running my fingers over the words and the lithographs. I felt a lot calmer after that, and when we finally pulled into the station I felt calm again.


	3. Chapter 3: Devilswort

Chapter 3 - Devilswort

I had been at the Hogsmead station before in the darkness - occasionally I had accompanied father or Aunty - Proffessor McGonagall - to see the students off or welcome the first years. But tonight it seemed twice as magical as usual, the platform was shrouded in shadows cast by the warmly glowing gas lights, and the throng of student seemed to crackle with a magic of it's own. In the distance I hear hagrid calling for the first yerar students and gestured to ron and harry to follow me.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere! All righ' there, 'arry, 'ow y' doin' Ruby?"

"Hi Hagrid!" I grinned, and he patted me on the shoulder.

"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years. Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

We made our way from the platform down a dark and slippery path, tripping over treeroots and occasionally knocking in to one another. I was mostly okay as I knew the path pretty well - I'd walked this way many times in the light with my father, and even in the dark I remembered when the trickiest parts are. Next to me I heard a boy sniffling. I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. He smiled nervously back at me.

"It's alright," I whispered. "The sortings really easy. It's meant to be a surprise, but you just put on a hat. Don't tell anyone I told you."

"My Gran will be really angry if I don't end up in Gryffindore though!"

I suddenly realised this was Neville Longbottom. I had read about his parents when I was looking into the first war. I felt really bad for him. Part of me knew how he felt - although I was sure Father would not be disappointed no matter what house I ended up in, I knew that everyone wanted me to be in Gryffindor too - including myself. I began to feel the first trickle of nerves about the sorting, but hid it so I wouldn't scare Neville.

"Well your Gran should keep it to herself. all the houses are equal!"

Behind me someone laughed. When I looked round I saw blond Draco Malfoy sneering. He shut up when I glared at him through.

"They are!" I said. "Except the slimy slytherins. And there's no way you're going there, right!" I said, clapping Neville on the shoulder. He smiled weakly, and we continued on our way, concentrating on not falling over or tripping on the roots.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," I heard hagrid shout. "jus' round this bend here."

I turned the corner and Gasped - around me other cries of surprise and delight arose. I could hardly believe it, that I had been at hogwarts all these years, and never truly seen it. Hogwarts had been my home, and I loved it, but as I looked out across the black glassy lake which mirrored the sky in perfection, and gazed up at where the castle stood - a gleaming cynosure of golden light, flaming windows and delicately architectured parapices, I felt something in me change, as if I had never truly seen beauty before and now I gazed upon it for the first time. My throat choked and blocked. I finally realised everyone else was moving towards a set of boats on the shore. I hurried after them. Harry, ron Hermione and Neville had already taken one boat, so I quickly climbed in after a blond girl and two twins.

"Right then - FORWARD!" Said hagrid, and right away our boars set off across the lake, speeding towards the warmth and light of the castle.

"Heads down!" Hagrid called, and we glided under a trailing carpet ivy. As it brushed gently over the tops of our heads I reached up and plucked one of the leaves off a hanging vine. It felt warm and soothing against my palm. No matter what happened, I reminded myself, Hogwarts was my home, and I would be safe here. I put the leaf in my pocket.

As we climbed from the boats and assembled on the pebbled shore, I spotted something in the bottom of our boat, hiding under the seat. I reached in and plucked out a toad. "Hey hermione!" I called. She turned to look at me.

"Is this the toad you were looking for?"

"Trevor!" neville called, and scooped him from my hands joyfully. "Look after him," I teased. "He's clearly a wayward toad!" Neville smiled, and we followed hagrid up to a great front door, which hagrid knocked on three times.

Aunty - Proffessor - McGonagall opened it, looking stern. I grinned at her, and she didn't even twitch. I was impressed!

She led us into the entrance hall where we all stood together nervously. She explained about the different houses for anyone who hadn't found out yet and explained about the housepoints. I couldn't help smirking - I couldn't wait to start earning points for my house!

She left us, and everyone around us burst into nervous conversation - I heard harry and ron talking about wrestling a troll, and Hermione going on about all the spells she knew already. I caught neville's eye and we smiled.

Suddenly everyone jumped - the house ghosts glided through the wall. This was a classic trick of theirs that I had laughed with them about in the past - scaring the first years was the only chance they really got, because after that everyone knew them and wasn't afraid of them anymore.

They talked cryptically for while about peeves, and the friar caught my eye and we grinned at each other. Nick made a show of noticing the students and the proffessor McGonagall appeared and hurried us into the great hall.

Smiling to myself, I watched Harry and the other first years admire the hall. I couldn't wait to wit down at my own house table for the first time ever. I looked towards Father, and he caught my eye with a fond look, and then professor McGonagall brought out the sorting hat and the sorting hat and it began. The hat sang about the houses and their qualities, and as I watched I remembered listening from the door of the hall - I had never sat in on one of the feasts before. I usually ate in the kitchens, because I didn't like to intrude on the school - plus it felt uncomfortable to sit at the staff table with all the students watching, and there wasn't a specific house table I could go to.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Called Proffessor McGonagall. "Abbott, Hannah!"

"HUFFLEPUFF." The hufflepuff table cheered and applauded.

Susan Bones followed hannah into hufflepuff, while Terry boot became the first Ravenclaw, followed by Mandy Brocklehurst. Lavender Brown went to Gryffindor and Millicent bullstrode went to slytherin and then finally -

"Dumbledore, Darkruby"

Swallowing, I made my way nervously to the hat. Many of the students already knew about me, but a crowd of whispers still followed me to the seat.

I put the hat on and it fell over my eyes.

for a few moments everything was silent, and then I heard

"Darkruby. I have been waiting".

I swallowed.

"There's Courage here, oh yes, and kindness too. Deep loyalty to your friends... a temper you find hard to control. You'd do well in Gryffindor, though Hufflepuff would help you calm that temper."

I smiled, feeling relief. When the hat put it that way, and when I thought of a house helping me grow into a better person, it made me feel better about it.

"You're smart too - with your thirst for books. But I don't think you could ever love knowledge for knowledge's sake. You need a use for what you learn. Ahh... so much potential. There is a darkness within you though; you are becoming more aware of it. An ambition not yet realised, a thirst - for something. Ah."

The hat went quiet, and I sat, confident, waiting for it to make it's decision, hoping for Gryffindor.

"I am sorry, Ruby. your house has already been set. I cannot change that."

"What?" I said, knowing I was speaking aloud and that everyone would be looking at me. I must have been under the hat for at least two minutes now.

"I cannot put it off any longer, Ruby. Your house was set long before you put me on your head. Your path has been chosen for you already. all I can say to you - as he once said to me - 'Ruby - seek me, find me, save me, I wait for you.' " I began to panic, unable to understand what was going on. Before I could do anything at all, the hat called out -

"SLYTHERIN!"

My heart plumeted. I took the hat off, and placed it on the stool, making my way numbly to the green clad table amidst a smattering of polite applause and the raucous whispers of the student body.

Dazed and gasping, I took my seat amidst the staring and hostile Slytherins. I stared at my plate, unable to look up and see the disappointed faces of my friends, of my father. Aunty McGonagall coughed, and continued with the sorting.

I sat there, wishing with all my might that someone would join me at the slytherin table who was decent - someone, anyone, who could keep me company and help lessen my shame. But I was followed by Malfoy's hulking bodyguards, Smirking Malfoy himself, theodore nott and then pug nosed pansy parkinson who sneered at me with a crule delight and sat giggling and snickering next Bullstrode.

I glanced up when Proffessor McGonagall called out Harry's name.

He made his way nervously towards the stool. Instead of whispers, outright conversations started up, everyone whispering "Is that The Harry Potter?"

"No guess where he'll end up," said Malfoy snidely.

Pansy sniggered. "House of the idiots of course"

I was too shocked by all that had happened to say anything. The hat was quiet for a long time, and I wondered what was happening under there. I crossed my fingers - could it be that harry wasn't destined for gryffindore? If I could end up here in slytherin, perhaps he could too? If harry was here, it wouldn't be half so bad.

"Gryffindore!" called the hat, and the table of the loins expoloded into cheers, banging their goblets on the table and appplauding so hard I thought their hands would drop off.

I swallowed my dissappointment with shame. Harry, at least, was where he belonged.

The sorting ended when Blaise Zabini joined our table. Fahter stood up. I finaly found the courage to meet his eyes. He glanced at me for only a moment, and he looked worried, but not angry. feeling a bit braver I looked around the hall. Harry caught my eye from over on the gryffindore table. He looked comiserating and I tried to communicate to him in just a look that this was the last place I wanted to be. Ron looked more guarded then harry, and whispered something in his ear when he saw where harry was looking.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" Began Father "Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" I smiled. It was an old joke he had shared with me a long time ago, and I was sure he had said it just to make me feel better.

He sat down, and the tables filled with food. I was hungry, but I felt too sick to eat. Something about eating next to the slytherins, most of whose father's were murderes and muggle haters set my teeth on edge. I pulled a bit of chicken and some vegetable on to my plate an picked at them halfheartedly, glad that up until now those around me had decided to mostly ignore me.

Parkinson was still whispering to Bullstrode and I was pretty sure they were talking about me, but I resolutely concentrated on demolishing my chicken. ten minutes into the feast and I wanted nothing more than to get away. Time seemed to drag on and on, and all I could think about was my room in the Headmaster's tower, the lavender rugs and the tapestry in my room of Sylphs dancing in a cherry tree, where I didn't have to worry about what house I was in.

My thoughts turned to the mysterious message the hat had given me - "'seek me, find me, save me, I wait for you.' the words brought to mind the mysterious stranger who had pulled me on to the train this morning, and the odd dreams I had been falling in to. Whenever I thought about his face, he seemed odd, like a black and white photograph or a blured vision. When I tried to think about his face, I couldn't picture it - I just remembered him as handsome.

I wondered if I would have any more dreams, and if I would meet him there. It seemed to be the one thing I could look forward to,

Eventually, the plates cleared and the table filled with sweet puddings. Normally I would eat some icecream but I just didn't have the stomach. I picked up a humbug and unwrapped it. Draco Malfoy was boasting about his eagle owl he'd got when he went to hogwarts, and about how he'd met harry in a madam malkins and made him look silly by talking about things he didn't know about.

Finally, father gave the announcements and we were free. A stern looking prefect I didn't know lead us down into the dungeons. I dreaded what the common room must look like, down here in the dark, and I wondered how ever I would make it through seven years of being a slytherin.

"Devilswort" said the prefect, and we all climbed into the common room.

I fell in love in an instant. The green light, instead of feeling cold, was comforting. There were shadowed corners and windows that opened out under the lake, where I could see sholes of silver fish shimmer in the light from the windows. The carved dragons and serpents seemed elegant rather than morbid. No matter who she held, I realised, hogwarts could never be ugly. My gpps mood was ruined, however, when proffessor snape emerged from the shadows. He glared down on us all, and glanced at me with an odd didn't say anything for a while and when he spoke his voice was low and velvety so that we had to listen hard to catch what he was saying.

"Welcome... to the noble house of Slytherin. I am your house master. If you have problems and troubles you cannot resolve yourseves it is to me you come. Likewise, if I note any misbehaviour within the house I will be responsible for your... reducation. Slytherin prides itself on it's subtlety, cunning and class which you should uphold in your day to day lives. Do not let me catch any one of you failing to do so"

I swallowed, and then I realised what he meant - he'd basically said that he we were free to do whatever we liked so long as we weren't caight and that he expected us to sort our own problems out!

I wished more than ever that I was in Gryffindor. I hoped Aunty McGonagall wouldn't be angry.

The prefects lead us to a wide archway, from where a curving corridore extended. The prefect explained that it curled around the common room like a snake around it's nest. In the dorm thelighting was dim and cool and resful. I went to my bed immeadiatly, ignoring Bulstrode and Parkinson, and tugged the curtains closed. I lay awake for a while listening to them talk. Pansy seemed enraptured with draco, and his "good breeding" and elegance. Then they started whispering again. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to pretend I couldn't hear them.

"Who does she think she is?"

"Snobby stuck up-"

"Did you see her hair?"

"Aren't her eyes freaky!"

They didn't seem to want to stop, getting louder and louder. I began to feel the heat in my eyes again, and the cold in my spine.

I clenched down on my anger until tears of hurt and frustration rolled down my cheeks into the pillow. Finnaly I managed to fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Isolation

Chapter 4 - isolation

In my dream I was flying. Above the igneous, twisted landscape through a red murky twilight I glided the power of wings at my back both dreamily detached and frighteningly real. I remembered noting of the worries and fear and anger I had fallen asleep with and new only that I was free. I rose and rose on blazing winds, not burned but warmed by the flow. I glanced over my shoulder and saw two shadows approach. They scared me, for some reason other than their ghastly form that I couldn't put my finger on. They rippled through the air, constantly changing shape. One minute they were fierce looking birds, the next they looked like wolves, galloping through the scorched sky. I tried to fly faster, but I began to feel tired. In seconds they would be upon me - I jolted to the left, tried to fall lower, but they were doing something - I was paralyzed with fear. They dived towards me, and seconds before they could close their jaws around me I jolted awake.

My heart pounding and ears ringing, I stared into darkness, Slowly I became aware of my surroundings - the green drapes that looked black in the early morning light, the heavy breathing of my new doormats. It was early, too early really to get up. But I knew I couldn't sleep. My trunk was at the foot of the bed - the houselves must have brought it in the night. I slipped out of bed and grabbed my robes, before tiptoeing over to the bathroom. After I'd washed and dressed I crept down to the common room. Just before I rounded the corner into the room, I heard two quiet voices. Two of the older students were sat up talking in the darkened common room. I could just see a hint of their lone candle glowing around the walls of the room

"-can't help thinking you're right."

"Even my mother would be appalled by such dirty tactics!"

There was a rustle and a soft laugh.

"Do you think we could appeal to professor snape?"

"No way, he's in Dumbledore's pocket, even if he does his best for us."

A harsh sigh.

"To think the little bitch will be sniffing about all the time - "

"And she's so rude too - didn't even try to pretend to fit in - like she was better than all of us, a little Gryffindor fool at heart taking one for the team-"

I gasped, loudly, as I realised they were talking about me. I couldn't believe it! Could there ever have been a worse start to someone's school than this?

"Whose there!" shouted one of the slytherins.

Trembling, I made to back down the corridor. I could barely move, so frightened I was.

"Lummox!" cried one of them.

The pale wandlight shone right on me. I began to shake.

"No one here. Check the alcoves."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise - how could he have not seen me? I was in plain sight! Testing the theory, I made to step into the common room - then noticed that there was a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw my handsome rescuer from the train. He raised one elegant finger to his lips. We stood very still for a while, and I tried not to make a sound.

"There's no one here, Alderly."

"Alright. Might as well get back to bed. Don't want old Flinty wondering where we've gone!""

They walked right past me and made their way down to the sixth year dorms at the end of the hall. The hand disappeared from my shoulder. I made my way carefully into the common room and slipped out into the corridor that led to the hidden door.

I wanted nothing more than a chance to sit and think, but it seemed at every turn I was thwarted somehow - someone would interrupt me, or I'd have something else to worry about. In truth, I was growing more and more scared of the dreams I was having - they grew more and more real feeling every time - and who was the dark stranger that had now saved me twice? I just wanted a chance to catch my breath and breathe.

I decided to go where I always went when things were upsetting me. I slipped through the corridors like a mouse, surefooted and silent. In the darkness of the castle, I couldn't help feeling that the shadows from my dreams were following me, but I counted on the warmth and love of Hogwarts to hold them off. Into the library I crept, and then to a tiny alcove of bookshelves. On the third shelf of a bookshelf that was backed against the wall, I pulled out a copy of "A field Guide to The little People", turned it around, and slipped it back on to the shelf so it's spine was touching the back of the shelf. The bookshelf turned aside and I was able to slip into a tiny corridor, that was only just big enough for me to walk through sideways,

The corridor led into a small courtyard garden. Four dainty sycamores surrounded a rippling fountain, and a small gazebo. Red ivy climbed up the towering walls of the castle on all four sides, and twined over the gazebo. I slipped over a path of mossy cobble stones and took a seat on the swinging bench inside the gazebo. It began to rock backwards and forwards, and I tucked my legs up on the wood, closing my eyes and resting back on the swing. Overhead, a small rain shower began, and I drifted for a while, listening to the soft patina of water on the wood overhead, the trickling of the fountain and the rustling of a warmish wind in the leaves of the sycamores. I let my mind wander.

The dreams were odd. I was beginning to find an odd solace in them though - the freedom of flight in my dream earlier tonight had been exhilarating - even the threat of the shadows which hounded me had been preferable to the black desperation that had settle over me as I fell to sleep. Despite myself, I looked forward to my next encounter with that eldritch world. Even more, I hoped I would meet the boy from before again - he must be in slytherin. He looked just a few years older than me. I decided I would look for him at breakfast.

I sat in the soothing peace of my quiet little courtyard for some time, lost in thought and letting the gentle sounds and soft winds wash away my worry. I was at Hogwarts. Things would be difficult, yes, but I would make my place here. If I couldn't make amends with my new house I would request a transfer (though I thought this would be mostly hopeless) or try to separate myself from my classmates and attach myself mostly to friends in another house.

Everything would be okay. If nothing else, my father would understand.

Feeling comforted in this little place at the heart of Hogwarts, I felt myself begin to drop off and shook myself awake. Feeling groggy, I pulled myself off the porch swing and shuffled back towards the tunnel. Back in the library, the clock read 6am. This wasn't an unusual time for me to be up and about. I darted through he corridores and secret passages towards the kitchens, hoping to get some breakfast there so I wouldn't have to spend that long at the house table.

as I tickled the pear and opened the door, I was met with an explosion of houselevs,

"Miss Ruby, Missy Ruby!" Tolly the house elf cried excitedly. I smiled. I knew all the houselves by name. When I as much younger they had worked hard to look after me. I couldn't help but love them for their loyalty and love for the school and all her inhabitants.

"Hey Tolly," I said, feeling refreshed.

"We has been hearing the new, Miss Ruby, but we is not caring. Miss Ruby will always be missy Ruby no matter which house she is in!"

"Thank you, Tolly!" I said with a soft smile. "You're probably all busy with breakfast," i said, "But is there any chance of just a cup of orange juice?"

Before I had finished my sentence, a plate of sausages, bacon, eggs and thin, folded pancakes had appeared on the table where I usually sat, with a glass of orange juice and a pot of coffee. I smiled and took my seat, feeling soft at heart. If everything went wrong, I decided, I would come and work in the kitchens here. Tolly took a stand near by my seat, whisking a huge bowls of pancake mixture.

Tolly was silent for a while as I started eating my pancakes. I had barely eaten last night and now this morning I felt half starved.

"Miss Ruby... must not be sad to be in the house of master Salazar." She said. I looked at her curiously.

"Tolly - I know but, I'm going to be miserable. Everyone hates me. They think I'm a spy," Tolly smiled cryptically, her ears quivering.

"Miss Ruby does not know, But Tolly knows. Tolly's mother knew and her grandma. Miss Ruby is going to help save us."

"What?" I said, thinking this was a lot like the Sorting hat's cryptic statement before.

"Miss Ruby just needs to find her place. If Tolly may be outspoken miss?"

I nodded - I had always encouraged the houselves to be outspoken with me, as they often had shrewd insight to give and a different way of looking at the world.

"Miss Ruby will get nowhere by hiding from her house. She must learn to love them, even if they do not love her."

I stared at Tolly all agape - it had never occurred to me to even try. It had seemed like a hopeless case, but Tolly's advice had given me strength. I finished my breakfast rapidly, and made my way to the great hall to collect my class schedule.


	5. Chapter 5: Tempest

Chapter 5 - Tempest.

Breakfast was uncomfortable. I endured the stares of everyone in the hall and tried to suppress the angry disappointment that was beginning to rise in me, reminding myself constantly of the advice that Tolly had given me. Even thought I looked, I couldn't seem my mysterious friend, though perhaps it was because I only stayed for a short time to receive my schedule. It turned out my first class that day was history of magic. I was deeply pleased with this because that meant I would have an easy - if dull - start to the week. I made my way to the class half an hour early, and took a seat off to one side at the front, where I would be out of the way of trouble makers but not in a "teacher's pet" position. There, I took a parchment and quill from my bag and began jotting down a list of everything that had happened to me, the questions I wanted answered before everything started to unravel.

Looking over my list, I gave a short laugh. I was sure I wasn't going mad, but with everything down on paper it certainly looked that way. The first, and easiest thing to find out would be who the mysterious boy who had been looking after me recently was, and to find out how I had ended up in slytherin when I was sure it was the house that least suited me. Then, I would see if I could find out more about my house - and after that I might have some clues about the weird dreams.

"What's so funny" said a cold aristocratic voice behind me.

I jumped and twisted. Draco Malfoy was sat three tables behind me, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. I blushed furiously - I felt my face heat and I was sure that I was going scarlet red.

"None of your business." I said, mustering my composure. Then I remembered what Tolly had said about being friendly and tried to soften my demeanour. "Sorry about the train." I said, figuring an apology would be the best place to start. "I shouldn't have got so angry."

Malfoy sneered; He clearly took my apology as a sign of weakness. My display of power on the train had clearly put him off messing with me further though. Typical pureblood bigot - big mouth, little wand. I kept my temper and smiled, then went back to my list of weird stuff happening to me.

"I suppose you think you're smart, getting put in slytherin. Is it some little scheme of your daddy's or is this a misguided attempt to actually better yourself?"

I was biting the inside of my cheek now to keep from snapping at him. "Trust me. No one is as surprised as me."

He shared a look with Crabbe and goyle and sniggered. During our conversation a couple more students had drifted into the class. We were with ravenclaw in history of magic. One of the twins who I had ridden a boat in with sat down next to me.

"Hi," she said, smiling.

"Hi!" I said, grinning back broadly. Now someone was finally being nice to me I felt about a million times better.

"Padma Patil, " she said.

"Ruby." I replied.

We chatted for a while, talking about the classes we were most interested in and what books we most enjoyed. Padma talked a little bit about her sister in Gryffindor, and I explained about my life in Hogwarts up to when I became a student.

Professor Binns floated through the chalk board and most of the class jumped. I giggled, and the professor looked at me strangely. After taking the register, he launched straight away into his lecture, explaining about the conflicted history of wizards with other magical species. The class was far less interesting than I had hoped - I usually enjoyed history - having a father who was part of it made things a lot more interesting. Unfortunately, professor binns seemed to pick out the most boring parts, or completely anaesthetise the interesting stuff. By the end of class I had managed to construct a basic timeline of the stuff he was explaining, and gained nothing else but the resolution to find out as much of this stuff as possible from books so I could use the class for something more constructive.

After history, I had charms with professor flitwig. Padma had Transfigurations, and as the classes were nearby each other, we made our way together.

"You must know a lot about more recent stuff" said Padma. I nodded grinning.

"Father tells a lot of stories" I said. "I don't ask too much about the fall of grindlewald, he's very modest about it and he hates talking about himself, but he knows all sorts of stuff about new developments in magic,"

We had arrived at the classrooms, and nodded goodbye to each other.

I walked into the classroom and smiled happily at professor flitwich of whom I had always been fond. He smiled back, a little uncertainly. I took my seat in the same place as last time and my classmates, who had followed padma and I filed in behind.

Professor flitwick took the register and began explaining about charms. I watched him all class, as we practiced wand movements and corrected our gripes but he didn't look at me once. I began to worry - was it because of where I had been sorted? The sinking desperation I had felt this morning began to appear in my stomach - even as icy anger began coiling down my spine. I suppressed it - if he wouldn't come to me, I would go to him. I decided I would try to get his attention,

"Proffessor Filtwick," I said, "I seem to be having some problems with my grip!" He glanced at me and shuffled over. I held my wand awkwardly. I was pretty sure i could do it right, but I just wanted to really test it. He coolly instructed me to correct my grip in the same cool reserved manner he had used with my classmates then made his way back to the front to continue instructing us. I sighed inaudibly. Other than padma and tolly, no one had said a single kind thing to me all day.

Classes finally ended for lunch, and I found myself dreading the afternoon and the defence class. As we were leaving, I decided to call on Professor McGonagall to see if I could talk to her about what had happened. From talking to tolly, I decided I wouldn't try to change my house until I really needed to, but I at least wanted to stay friendly with Gryffidnore's fierce Lioness.

I hung back behind my compatriots as they drizzled out of class, Mafloy smirking nastily at me alongside his big guards. I let the mixed Blue and emerald students trail away then came to a stop outside Profffessor McGonagall's class and knocked on the door.

"Enter." she said, in her usual business like tone. I slipped in through the door and closed it behind me.

She looked up. I expected her to soften but instead she remained cold. "Ruby. I wasn't expecting to see you here until tomorrow." She said.

I sighed. "I just wanted to say hi," I said with a smile.

She watched me a while before she said "What are you doing Ruby? Lord knows you have the brains for ravenclaw, the dedication for hufflepuff - I even thought you might have the heart of Gryffindor. But what are you doing in Slytherin?"

"I didn't -" I began

"Have you deceived us all?" She said, her eyes narrowing coldly. I staggered back, surprised. I had expected at least my auntie to understand. As I searched for an answer, I felt within me an anger I had long been ignoring all day - the sensation of both ice and fire combining and twisting inside me rose. I swallowed, even as my eyes burned and my spine crackled.

"I didn't." I said shortly. "I wanted to talk to you about it."

"I don't have time for this nonsense!" She said sharply, and opened the door with a wave of her wand. "If you will be on your way Miss Dumbledore." she cringed as she said it, as if she couldn't bear the thought of me bearing my father's name. I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Why will no one LISTEN to me?" I cried "I hate it! Everyone hates me for something that isn't my fault!" My blood was rushing in my ears. I felt something rise up in me. I tried to swallow it down - I didn't want to hurt anyone. It burst out, a tempestuous fire.

Professor mcGonagall shrieked a Latin word, and I saw a shield appear before her. But the wild, uncontrollable fire was too much for me to handle - even as I tried to real it in I felt it scorch me, my cheeks burning hot, icelike white hot fire on my scalp. Professor Mcgonagall screamed something else, and everything else went black.


	6. Chapter 6: Intimidation

Chapter 6 - Intimidation

Someone was singing, a gentle, woman's voice, distant and near. I opened my eyes, though the sensation was odd somehow. I was not at Hogwarts, that was apparent immediately. I had been sleeping on chaise long, under a canopy of maple leave and vines. Nearby I heard a fountain. I rose slowly, and I found that my arm ached. It was bandaged, and there was a faint stain of reddish black leaking through. I hoped that wasn't my blood. Either way - I shouldn't have just ached a little from such a major wound.

The woman's singing voice came nearer; until I felt that she was next to me, although I could not see her. I felt an enormous presence. I shivered, my eyes darting around, searching for a place to run to.

"Peace, my child" whispered a voice, half in my mind, half verbal - I felt it all through me and all around me. I swallowed convulsively,

"Where am I?" I whispered

"At the home of your ancestors, beneath the earth and in a distant dimension."

Sickly realisation trickled through me.

"I'm in hell! I thought those were just a dream!"

"Yes. Both dreams and reality. As you slept your mind travelled, taking the shape of a body akin to that of your ancestors."

"My Ancestors... who are you!"

A form shimmered and slipped into shape in front of me - at the same time there was nothing but air, a mighty dragon, and a beautiful woman with tossed scarlet hair and golden fiery eyes. Her form eventually settled on that of the woman, and I recognised my own features in her face.

"I am your mother," She smiled. I knew it was true. My father had always told me that I had demonic heritage, but he'd always strayed away from telling me the absolute truth, preferring me to remain innocent, But his evasions had lead me to believe I was more closely related to them than I knew. I looked up into her face and felt an odd kind of fondness, and also fear.

"I - " I began, unsure what to say. She came to me, and placed one hand on my cheek.

"My Child. You would never have survived here, so I brought you to the one person I knew could protect you. You were brought to this dimension by my enemies. They both fear you and hate you."

"why!" I gasped, a dart of fear passing through me.

"Because you are half human, a witch too, and therefore stronger than them. Our family is mighty in hell, and they fear that one day a human, child will lead them. As a witch and a demoness, you will wield a power they can barely dream of when you reach your potential!" My mother's eyes glowed a fierce gold. I could feel her pride like a tangible force, but I was overcome by the enormity of it all.

"But I'm just me!" I whispered. She sat down carefully beside me, and took my shoulders in her hands.

"You are my child. You are special." I met her eyes. and smiled. I was unsure what to think about what she had said and decided I would only worry about it when I had to.

"You were pursued across the heights by the agents of my enemy. You must be careful - there are those in botht this world and yours that would harm you. You will never be unpursued. Be careful and use your talents wisely."

I felt the world around me begin to feel less real.

"Before you go, my child, a gift."

I cocked my head on one side. I was so shocked and surprised by the whole thing I could barely bring a single word to my lips. My mother pressed something in to my arms, even as the world around me seemed to fade away, into greyness.

"Goodbye," I whispered, and shit my eyes tight.

I felt like I drifted in the blankness for a while. Then the sensations around me changed. I began to feel warm - so hot all over I burned and stung. A deep exhaustion came over me, but I fought my way through it. to the surface.

I opened my eyes slowly, and saw a kind face peering down at me.

"Father?" I croaked, my voice coming hoarse and broken.

"Good evening, Ruby, " He whispered with a smile. I slowly came back to myself, and realised I was in my room in the headmaster's tower. The pale colours and familiar smells soothed me. I sat up slowly.

"Lemon Drop?" I accepted one with a smile.

"What happened?" I asked And I felt a wave of fear and shame sweep over me. Was my aunty okay? How could I have done that? "Is my aunty okay?"

He smiled softly, a little sadly. "She is well, in the hospital wing with Madame Pomfrey."

We sat in silence for a while, and I picked at the pattern on the duvet.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't want any of this to happen. It was supposed to be happy; I didn't want to hurt anyone!"

My Father smiled and took my arm. "Ruby my child... In a school of magic, accidents happen. You would not be the only powerful little girl who had found it all too much and lost her control on the first day. As things go on, you will learn to control this better." I smiled down at the duvet, but I felt bitter, and tears began to drip from my cheeks and down my nose. I couldn't forgive myself - I had hurt someone I cared about due to my poor control.

"Still, another such outburst would be dangerous. We cannot have a repeat. I have scheduled some classes with Professor Snape, your housemaster, to aid you in controlling your magic."

I looked up in horror - I respected professor snape, naturally, but he was not the kind of teacher I would choose for private lessons.

My father smiled knowingly. "You may find that you have more in common than you expect." I sighed.

"Nothing has been told to the school about what has happened, and professor McGonagall will keep this to herself. All that anyone is aware of is that you were both involved in a minor magically accident, and that you will both return tomorrow. Now, supper is still on, and I believe you should eat."

I made my way down to dinner pensively, my thoughts dark and dwelling.

Harry watched from his seat at the Gryffindor table as Ruby made her way to a secluded seat at the slytherin table. He and Ron both agreed that even though she'd seemed different somehow on the train, they hadn't expected her to go to Slytherin. Ron said that just went to show the kind of people that turned up, and had said he wanted nothing more to do with her, but Harry thought it might be something different. He thought, privately, that his worst nightmare had become hers - she'd been sorted into slytherin, the house of dark wizards, and didn't really belong there. He picked away at his steak and said a couple of words here and there in conversation to Ron, Shamus and Dean, and thought.

The last two days had been amazing. He felt like he'd learned more today than he had in his whole life before. He'd made friends, and while everyone here talked about him, he was pretty sure they weren't whispering about the time Dudley had torn a hole in his pants over break and he'd had to go through the whole day with his underwear showing. A lot of people were talking about Ruby too, but they weren't saying anything nice - just quiet insults. And everyone was being careful, because she was the headmaster's daughter and no one wanted to cross Dumbledore.

Harry decided he wanted to help her, be friends. She was the first person other than Hagrid who had become his friend, and he owed her for helping him find the platform anyway. At the first opportunity he'd do something to help her out.

She slipped out of the hall after just a few bites of dinner, without even having pudding. Harry thought fast.

"Hey ron, I'll meet you in the Common room. I think I left my textbook in the charms classroom!" Ron nodded, his mouth bulging with fries, and harry ran out after ruby.

He caught Ruby up halfway to the library and she turned to look at him. "What, are you following me?" she grinned, but seemed slightly less bright than yesterday, as if it was false.

"I - no, well - I just - I wanted to see if you're alright?"

Her eyes softened and a glimmer of a true smile lightened her glum mien. "I'm heading to the library to study. You - we could study together if you like?"

Harry wasn't really big on studying, but he'd not been to the library yet and he was pretty eager to find out all about Hogwarts he could. And ruby new the castle better than he did - she might know some secret passages he'd heard Fred and George talking about! Plus - where better to look up spells he could learn than the library?

"Sure!" he said with a grin. Shouldering his pack he walked with her to the large brass handled doors of the library.

The library was exactly like he felt a library should be - large, confusing, slightly musty and comfortable. The stacks were arranged in sections and alcoves, creating little hidden places where you could sit and study in peace, or large tables where you could sit with others to study. They took their seats at a small table. Harry took out the list of homework he'd made in class, as well as a bottle of ink and father quill he'd been using. Ruby piled a small fort of books around them.

Checking his list, he found he had three inches on the effects of Wand movements in charms, six inches on the dangers of transfiguration from McGonagall and an essay on the different types of curse and their effect for defence. To his surprise, he found he was actually sort of looking forward to his homework. He glanced to his left, where ruby was sat, and saw that she was gazing blankly at her defence text book.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She jumped and looked at him. "Oh," She said, trying to smile. "I just realised I don't know what the defence homework is!"

"Well, he gave us an essay on the difference between all the different types of curse. He probably gave you guys the same thing."

"Thanks," she smiled.

They sat for a while in silence, working on their homework and asking each other questions every now and again. Ruby looked over his notes for Defence, and harry found that she new a lot more about charms than he did. Harry only looked up when a shadow fell over his parchment.

"Is she bothering you, Potter?" asked a voice beside him. Harry looked round and saw one of the older Gryffindor students staring down at them.

"Err n-"

"What are you doing bothering Potter, Snakey?"

"She's not!" Harry tried to interject.

"It's alright Potter, I'll take care of this."

"It's none of your business!" snapped Ruby.

"Clear off before I hex you," said the older Gryffindor, his wand appearing in his hand. Harry gasped as the burning rage began to stir in Ruby's eyes, lighting them with an eldritch flame. Then something changed, and she began packing away her things, her fierceness fading. Stuffing her things into her back bag she stormed out of the library. Harry looked after her, feeling guilty that he hadn't really been able to stick up for her. He was used to running away from Dudley - he'd never had to stand up on someone else's behalf before.

The seventh year sat down in the seat ruby had left and smiled.

"Potter, my name's Sampson Hedge. I'm your seventh year prefect. I'm going to let you off on this one because you're new and I understand you don't really get it yet."

Harry looked up at Hedge, trying to work out what point this seventh year was trying to make. He felt a bit intimidated by it, but he wasn't going to let someone like this push him around.

"She might be replated to Dumbledore, but she's in Slytherin. Gryffindor don't hang around with slytherin." Harry stared at him. What a stupid rule! "She's bad news, okay? You can't trust her."

Having had enough, Harry picked up his bag and started packing away his things.

"Thanks for the advice" he said shortly, and followed ruby out of the library.


	7. Chapter 7: Paint

AN: After this chapter, things will start to pick up a bit more. I'll be updating less often as I've just about got to the end of my prewritten chapters. This is the shortest chapter yet, but I didn't feel right attaching it to any of the others, so you're stuck with one short chapter – Chapter 8 to come soon though, as it's mostly finished!

Chapter 7 - Painted

As I marched from the library to the slytherin common room, my anger at the interfering Gryffindor prefect began to fade. I was still happy that Harry had approached me, even if everything had been ruined by that lumbering idiot. Today I had finally found two people that I could talk to - Padma, who seemed as interested in learning as I was, and Harry, who seemed to want to be friends with me despite everything. I hoped that he wouldn't get trouble for hanging around me.

"Devilswort," I whispered at the hidden door, and I made my way down to the common room, slipping through the shadowed areas and into my dorm. I stopped and stared. The hangings of my bed had been slashed. The duvet, pillows and mattress were now nothing more than feathers and ripped fabric - worse still, red paint had been splashed across my things. Pansy and Millicent were sat on their beds talking. They looked up and giggled when I came in.

"It wasn't us," Giggled Parkinson. "It was like that when we got here."

Bullstrode dissolved into a fit of giggles, and then they made their way into the common room, probably to tell everyone about how funny my face was when I saw what happened. Sure enough a few seconds later I heard Malfoy's cold aristocratic laugh, and a few deeper chuckles from the older students. I remember the conversation I had overheard this morning and decided it probably wasn't someone from my own year who had done this - it was someone in the older years, trying to get rid of me.

I wouldn't let this get to me. "Tolly?" I said quietly.

There was a pop and Tolly appeared nearby. "What is it mi- oh." Tolly came to me and put her hand on my elbow comfortingly. "Tolly will clear this up now. Missy is not to worry, for Tolly can sort this out right away."

"Thank you Tolly" I said softly. Tolly patted my arm again and popped away, reappearing with five other houselves and some fresh bedclothes. They worked their magic, and within five minutes my bed was fresh and clean and the paint had been cleared away.

"Thank you," I said, kneeling down so I could look Tolly in the eye.

"We are always happy for you to call on us, Missy!" Said Tolly, and then with a little curtsey, she and the other houselves disappeared.

With that, I climbed into bed and tugged closed my fresh hangings. That night, I slept without the dreams I had come to expect. Perhaps my mother was warding off those that were trying to pull me into harms way. Every now and then, I thought I heard a dog barking, or the howling of a wolf under the moon, but it was a comforting sound and it helped me sleep.

The next morning I awoke as early as usual. After washing and changing, I made my way down to breakfast. There were only a couple of people in the hall - sleepy Ravenclaws, adding a last few extra inches to their lengthy essays, or panicked looking Hufflepuffs finishing off forgotten summer homework. There were a few older Slytherins sat at one end of the table, so I took my seat at the other side and pulled a slice of toast onto my plate and buttered it. I checked my schedule and felt a bubble of dread begin in my stomach. I had transfiguration this morning. I sighed and packed my stuff away, deciding I would try to catch professor McGonagall early and talk to her about what happened. I knew she was always in her classroom before her students so if I came early enough I would be able to apologise.

I slipped out of the great hall the moment Draco Malfoy appeared and made my way to the transfiguration classroom. The door was open and I could see professor McGonagall at the desk, marking summer homework. I knocked on the door to let her know I was there and stepped through. She looked up and I closed the door behind me.

"Professor," I said softly "I wanted to talk to you." Her lips pursed into a half smile,

"And I to you ruby." Come in and sit down." I took my seat for class and she came over, leaning against the desk next to mine.

"I'm sorry about yesterday." I said, quietly.

Professor McGonagall stayed silent for a while. "I understand you were having a hard time. I too was shocked by your placement. However, I do not feel this was an excuse for the dangerous way in which you reacted. I hope you will work hard in class to make up for it." I smiled. She was being colder than usual, but at least she was still willing to teach me.

"Of course," I said with a smile. A feeling of relief washed through me. I got out my books and parchment and began finishing off the last of my homework as the rest of the class arrived.

Professor McGonagall turned out to be as strict a teacher as I had expected. I already knew a little bit of what to expect after going through the essay with harry. I managed to answer a couple of questions and even managed to win a couple of points for slytherin. I was both pleased and a little guilty; although I took it as a sign that she had mostly forgiven me. I realised that I was the first one in our class to win points, and I wondered if it would make my classmates dislike me more, or if they would give me less of a hard time.

After Transfiguration we had another period of charms. Professor Flit wick was still somewhat cold, but I had begun to feel better and I was sure that after a while he would become less awkward. I sat with my classmates during lunch, staying quiet and listening to them talk. I began to wonder how I might go about trying to win them over - I had no idea, but I was sure there must be something I could do. Things carried on in this way for the rest of the week. In classes we shared with other students I tried to make friends with other houses, and in those where we were the only ones I kept my mind occupied thinking about the various things I had learned - about my mother, and the still mysterious stranger, and about how I would begin to get along better with my house.


	8. Chapter 8: Interrogation

Chapter 8 - Interrogation

After my first couple of days, things began to settle down. I established a habit of keeping out of people's way, being generally helpful, and trying not to be seen. My long stay in the castle helped with this - I knew many of the less well travelled routes, and I could easily get from class to class without running in to any unpleasant confrontations. Things continued this way until Friday morning, when I would attend my first potions class. I woke before bullstrode and Parkinson, as had become my habit, and went down to breakfast. I was half dreading and half looking forward to potions this morning, which we would be having with the Gryffindors. I was looking forward to seeing harry, but dreading classes with the ever sadistic professor Snape - it would also be when he invited me to my private lessons. While I knew they were important and I couldn't afford to go without them, part of me couldn't help but want to avoid them.

After my usual speedy breakfast, I hurried down to the potions lab in the dungeon. I was nearly half an hour early, so I stood outside the classroom to wait, knowing that Professor Snape disliked it when people entered the labs without permission. I opened one thousand Magical herbs and fungi and let myself get caught up in leafing through the letter A. I was just beginning to read about Aconite when I heard footsteps in the corridor and looked up - over the week I'd learned not to let my slytherin classmates catch me unaware. But it wasn't one of the Slytherin - it was Harry. He was alone, and he looked pensive and worried, but when he saw me he smiled slightly.

"What are you reading?" he asked, coming to stand next to me.

"Oh, it's the potions text book" I replied. "Professor Snape has a habit of asking difficult and nasty questions so I was reading up." I continued in a lower voice.

Harry didn't say anything; he just nodded and pulled a face as if he knew exactly what I meant. We stood in silence for a while; harry peering over my shoulder to read the book. Hermione, who I had met on the train, arrived next, and after that the rest of the class began to arrive, the slytherins and gryffindors standing as far apart as possible - Only harry and I stood together.

Sooner than I would have liked, Snape swooped around the corner and ushered us into his classroom I sat at a table next to Harry. Ron glared at me, and took a seat on the next table along, next to Seamus. Hermione sat next to Neville. The rest of the Slytherins paired off as I had become accustomed over the week, Draco working with Nott, abandoning Crabbe and Goyle to work together. Bulstrode and Parkinson began also worked together. This left Blaise working with a Gryffindor by the name of Dean Thomas. Neither of them looked happy about it. I noticed Seamus glancing at his friend in sympathy and Blaise curled his lip and sat at the far end of his desk, as far away from the Gryffindor as possible.

Professor Snape began taking register. He sneered nastily when he said my name, and actually paused when he read Harry's name.

"Ah, Yes," he whispered malevolently. "Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity." This set Malfoy Crabbe and Goyle sniggering. Harry glared.

Snape swept his dark eyes over the class then began to give us a brief introduction to potions. I had to hand it to the man - he certainly knew how to use theatrics to keep a class in line. I thought it was a shame he was such a misanthrope - if he had had more patience, he would have made an excellent and engaging teacher. He finished his introduction and then paused for a second. We waited for him to continue in silence.

"Potter!" snapped Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood."

Asphodel - one of the very ingredients that Harry and I had just been reading about - a plant most important for its magical connection to the realm of death. Wormwood I wasn't sure of - other than that it was often used in wizarding drinks. My guess was some kind of intoxicating potion which brought the drinker close to death.

"Umm, death and..." Said Harry

"Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything." Snape broke in, sneering nastily.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Harry frowned. We had just finished reading about bezoars, but our potions text was more geared towards the use of ingredients rather than their origins. Snape had to know that - his questions were completely unfair. Malfoy and his cronies were laughing outright now, and Harry flushed with embarrassment.

"I - I don't know, sir" said harry, looking at the table uncomfortably. The cold was creeping down my spine - I knew the feeling now - the awakening of my demonic power. I shut my eyes, trying to cool their burning.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter." Harry stared back at Snape defiantly. I tried to focus on that - to cool my raging temper with the balm of Harry's calm strength.

Snape's lips curled as he thought of yet another tricky question to catch harry out with. I balled my hands into fists under the table.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" The change in Harry's posture was obvious - aconite, the first thing we'd read about, commented on - that it had so many names.

"Its aconite sir." said Harry quietly. "Those plants are the same thing." I smiled widely, and I noticed a couple of Gryffindors caught Harry's eye in appreciation.

Snape, on the other hand, looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"One out of three? Pathetic Potter," he sneered. "For your information, Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane," He paused here, and continued if he'd taken something bitter - ""They are indeed the same plant, and are used in a variety of powerful potions governed by the moon. Well? Why aren't you taking this down?"

As we all reached for our quills, Snape spoke again. "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your incompetence, Potter."

Things continued in a bad way for the rest of the class, with Snape swooping around being so critical of the Gryffindors they practically couldn't work. It was fortunate Neville was working with Hermione - if he hadn't been, he would have probably melted his cauldron several times by now. Harry and I talked in hushed whispers over our boil solution.

"I feel really bad about what happened in the library," said Harry, under the gentle bubbling of our cauldron.

"Don't worry about it," I replied gently. "I really appreciated your company. I've not... I don't really fit in in my own house" I said, perhaps a little more mournfully than I intended.

"Well anyway," Harry continued, "I'm not letting Sampson Hedge tell me who my friends should be."

I grinned at him, but then my smile faded a little. What if Harry's housemates began to ostracise him the way mine had me? But he was Harry Potter. He would have a lot of leeway in the house of Lions. "Do you... I think we both have a free period this afternoon. Do you want to study together again? I'm sure we can find a place to hide out in the library -"

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed "That reminds me - I've kind of got plans this afternoon." My face fell. "But Ruby - you're welcome to come along - Ron and I are going down to see Hagrid. He invited us down to see him in his cabin!" My face lit up, but a table along, I could see that Ron's face was like thunder. I didn't want to intrude, but I truly did want to spend time with Harry and Hagrid - and maybe patch things up with Ron.

"I'm sure I could come for a little while," I said, wanting to leave myself and escape clause in case things got awkward. "I do need to study after all, but..." I grinned.

"If you find something amusing, Miss Dumbledore, do share it with the class."

A retort came so quickly to my tongue I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from uttering it immediately - I knew I shouldn't - mustn't -

"Your nose," I replied archly, and I regretted it immediately, despite the laughs my Gryffindor peers were trying to cover

"Detention." said Snape silkily. "You will remain after class to discuss your... punishment." He turned away without further comment.

The rest of the class passed in a mix of dread and amusement. Even while I worried about what would happen - and what my father would say when he heard I'd received a detention in my first week - I couldn't help smiling whenever Snape wasn't looking, as Harry and the rest of his housemates (except Hermione) kept shooting me amused glances. Even Theodor Nott and Draco Malfoy cracked a smile. When Snape called an end to class at twelve o'clock, I slowly packed my kit away, watching apprehensively as the rest of my classmates filed out. When the last of them had closed the door, Snape turned to me, looming in the shadows like a huge vampire bat. I stared back at him, not even blinking.

"So... you think it's amusing to disrespect your teachers?"

I stared back, my jaw clamped shut.

"Miss Dumbledore" he said with distasted. "You will find that I am not in the habit of indulging such foolishness in my classroom. I hope today's little episode has been your last, or the... extracurricular lessons... we shall commence tomorrow evening will be tedious indeed. You will report to my office at seven pm, and will continue to do so until I have decided you are prepared. If your classmates enquire, you will explain that you have been given repetitive detention, and that I have decided to make an example of you."

I nodded, hoping that this would mean I wouldn't have to attend an actual detention.

"However," Snape continued, and my heart sank. "This still leaves us with the problem of the detention you must serve for your insolence today. It will remain on your record until an opportunity presents itself, and we will dispense with it at my... convenience." I nodded and swallowed.

"You are dismissed."

I almost fled from the classroom. Harry and Ron were waiting for me outside. I grinned at them feebly.

"How'd it go?" asked Ron.

"I just got detention for forever."

Ron sniggered, and Harry made a valiant effort at keeping a straight face - but it was too much. Soon, I was laughing too, and we fled the dungeons for lunch before Snape heard us.

After lunch Harry and I met outside the great hall, and made our way to the library together. The events in potions this morning seemed to have waylaid some of his suspicions about me, and he seemed reconciled to the fact that Harry would occasionally study with me - he went his own separate way with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan - who grinned at me - and left Harry and I to our own devices. The increased warmth that my Gryffindor year mates showed me made me wonder if the endless string of "detentions" might have been worth it after all.

Harry and I took our time to find a place to hide amidst the stacks, not wanting any further interruptions form "well meaning" housemates. We finally settled at a small study table in the 'G - L's of magical history. Following the pattern of our previous study session, we each began to work on our different subjects, helping each other along the way - Harry helping me with an essay on counter jinxes, while I tried to explain the different way the enunciation of spells could affect the outcome for charms.

"Why do you think you ended up in Slytherin?" Harry asked, after a while of working companionably together.

I pursed my lips and studied my essay for a while, not sure how to answer his question.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, after some contemplation. "The hat... it said..." I looked away, unsure how to continue.

"The hat nearly put me in Slytherin," said Harry, abruptly. "I should have said yes." He looked away, a little guiltily.

"No!" I said, perhaps a little louder than I should have. "No. I - you're where you belong, and I'm where I belong, I suppose. I only have to put up with Bulstrode and Parkinson - you'd have to manage with Malfoy and his snoring goons!" Harry grinned. Something about him made me want to trust him - not just because he was Harry Potter, but something else - a kind of gentleness and kindness I could see in his eyes. I was suddenly very glad he wasn't in Slytherin. "I - the hat told me it had already been decided. It seemed to go through all the other houses, and try and put me in one of them, but in the end, it HAD to put me in slytherin - and - "I broke off here, not sure how to continue, to explain the whisper I had heard.

"Weird." said Harry, succinctly. "Any ideas about why?"

I shook my head. "The hat... said something else. Or - it wasn't the hat, but I heard it from the hat. It said something about 'find me, seek me - ' something or other."

Harry frowned. "It didn't do that with me, and if it had with anyone else we'd know by now right?"

"Yeah." I replied, dubiously. It seemed ridiculous that someone would have left a message in the sorting hat just for me. What if there was some set parameters, or it happened to all Slytherin students, and everyone knew about it except me? I wished there was some kind of Hogwarts manual I could check it in. I immediately felt stupid - we were right in the section of the library that could most help - I needed a copy of Hogwarts a History!

I immediately began searching the shelves by title. I swiftly realised I didn't know the name of the author, and hurried off to find the card index, with harry in tow.

"Tomkink, Garius - Hogwarts, a History!" I said excitedly, and Harry began to help me search. After about five minutes of looking, Harry beckoned me over.

"Here," he said. "It should be between 'Thornut" and "Trabber"

I sighed. "Maybe Madame Pince has a copy that's been handed in. We can check on our way out."

After we'd finished our homework, I approached the desk with a copy of "Charms for Children" under my arm. As I passed the book over for Madame Pince to stamp, I asked "You don't happen to have a copy of Hogwarts a History spare do you?"

Madame Pince pursed her lips. She looked distinctly annoyed, and I worried if I'd annoyed her somehow.

"I'm afraid not child," she said shortly. "We have two copies - one of which has been taken out, the other of which has been severely graffitied."

"Is there any chance I could look at it? I really really need to!" I wheedled, in my best pleading voice.

"Not before I've restored the book," she said tartly.

I sighed. The book restoration probably wouldn't take that long, but I felt desperate - like had to know as soon as possible.

"I would only need it until - until Monday?" I asked quietly." Please, Madame Pince, What harm could it do?" She looked very put upon, but after a moment she seemed to give way.

"Well. Who am I to discourage reading?" She hurried away into the back room and returned with a grubby looking copy of Hogwarts a History. "Been in the school for over fifty years, this book. We need some new copies really, but there are much more popular ones to replace..." She sighed and stamped out both books. "Take care of them..."

Harry waved me over to the door hurriedly. The library clock read five to three - we would be meeting Hagrid soon. I stuffed my acquired books into my school bag and we set off to find Ron together.

We met Ron in the entrance hall, and began the trek down to Hagrid's just a few minutes late. As we went, I took off my school tie and turned my robes inside out to hide the Slytherin crest. I was sure that what house I was in wouldn't matter in the long run, but I knew how sensitive Hagrid could be, so I rather preferred that it should remain concealed for as long as possible.

I watched Harry smile as he came up to the small house wooden house, and I wondered what sort of home he came from. He hadn't seemed that close to his aunt and uncle when I'd spoken to him, but I had no way of really knowing how things had been before he came to school. For a moment I wondered what it would be like to grow up in a normal house, knowing my real family - but then I dismissed those thoughts. All the family I ever needed were at Hogwarts, even if they had been a little distant as of late.

Harry knocked on the door politely, and stood back. HE looked a little apprehensive at the sounds I knew were Fang's excited rush to the door.

"Back, Fang - back." I heard, and then Hagrid's face appeared at the door. We squeezed into the house as Hagrid struggled with Fang.

Harry looked around Hagrid's home appreciatively, and I grinned at him. Of all the places in Hogwarts, I associated the Gamekeeper's Cottage the most with warmth and comfort. Hagrid was such a gentle soul, and he could always be counted on to lend an ear if you needed someone to listen.

That said, I saw Hagrid glance at me a little uncomfortably a he invited us to make ourselves at home. I guessed the news had reached him. I wasn't surprised he was as shocked as anyone else, so I smiled at him and didn't let my self get upset like I had with aunty - Professor - McGonagall.

"This is Ron," said Harry breaking the silence that had descended on the little cottage. "And err... I think you know Ruby."

""Another Weasley, eh." said Hagrid, glancing at Ron and looking shiftily away from me. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."

I hid a giggle as Ron and Harry nearly injured themselves with Hagrid's cooking, and scritched Fang under his huge chin. I kept quiet as Hagrid, Harry and Ron chatted about life at Hogwarts. As the conversation swung to this morning's disastrous potions lesson, Harry seemed to notice my reticence.

"Ruby was great!" said Harry, and I flushed. "If we hadn't been reading the textbook together before the lesson, I would have looked really stupid!"

"Aye," said Hagrid, finally looking at me with some warmth, "She's a brigh' one, our Ruby." I grinned at Hagrid, embarrassed by his praise but grateful. That was just Hagrid though - quick to dish out compliments.

"Snape was rude to Ruby too," Harry continued, "But he seems to really hate me."

"Rubbish!" Hagrid exclaimed, and I knew instantly that he was hiding something - I couldn't help wondering what.

How's yer brother Charlie." Hagrid asked Ron, swiftly changing the subject. "I liked him a lot - great with animals."

As Hagrid and Ron chatted about Charlie and his work with dragons, Harry turned his attention to a newspaper clipping. I leaned over his shoulder to have a better look.

"This happened on my birthday!" Harry whispered to me. "Look, it says the vault was emptied - Me and Hagrid emptied a vault that day!"

"Do you think-?" I whispered

"Maybe..." Harry replied. "Hagrid, " he continued, "Do you think - this Gringotts break in - do you think it was vault seven hundred and thirteen?"

"Err, no' sure 'bout that Harry," Hagrid said evasively. "Fancy another Rock cake?""

Harry and Ron discussed the break in as we climbed the hill back up to the castle, though I remained quiet - while they were excited by the mystery of the contents of the vault, I felt only tired. There were far too many mysteries in my life at the moment and the mysterious package Hagrid had transported could only add to them.


	9. Chapter 9: Secrets

AN: Hi guys, time for chapter 9 :) At this point I'd really appreciate some more feedback from you about how you think this is going – I want to see how much you can guess what's going to heppen, and what you think of the plot developments, to help guide my chapters in the future.

Chapter 9 - Secrets

Saturday evening rushed towards me with the precision and speed of an arrow. I dreaded the advent of my lessons with Snape as much as ever, but as I approached, a kind of curiosity and anticipation was born within me. When I knocked on the door to Snape's office at exactly seven pm, I was in an odd sort of mood.

"Enter." I heard from within. Snape was writing at his desk - marking summer homework. He ignored me for a minute or so, and I came to stand behind a chair in front of his desk, not wanting to hang around by the door or sit without his express permission - I knew that he would attempt to criticise me, no matter what. The silence dragged on, and I guessed that he was waiting for me to comment, so that he could make some nasty mark about my patience. In the end, I out waited him. He came to the end of his markings, closed the bottle of red ink, and dried his quill.

"Sit," he said, and I followed his command as promptly as I could.

"Do you understand why you are here, Miss Dumbledore?"

"I lost control." I replied, and remembering Professor McGonagall's scream, and her tight eyes as we had talked before transfiguration, I could no longer look Snape in the eye. I studied my fingernails instead.

"And why, Miss Dumbledore, do you think you lost control?"

The question felt personal. I didn't want to share my loneliness and anguish of the past few days with Snape. But my Father was seldom wrong, and if professor Snape could help me with the dreadful consequences and heightened sensitivity of my anger, I would do my best. "I was angry - I'd been so lonely and-"

"No," he said, cutting me off. I looked up, hurt. "Miss Dumbledore, the contents of your mundane and unexceptional mind are not my concern. I am not your counsellor and if you are truly in need of such _emotional support_" he said with a sneer, "I suggest you contact Madam Pomfrey." I swallowed. "You loss of control, I suspect, was instead due to the awakening of those powers afforded to you by your heritage, and the lack of guidance on such matters you have heretofore been given. The headmaster, I believe, hoped to prevent the necessary anguish that learning to wield or suppress such powers, which are intended only for wanton destruction, would cause you. This leads us to the intention of these lessons - suppression has been unsuccessful. We must instead harness and control."

"Yes sir," The professor was, as always, intimidating. But I instead felt excited - the prospect of learning to use the wild and powerful magic I had lashed out with invigorated me. I remembered the feeling of wings at my back, the ease with which I had made my panicked leap to the train and the raw power of the inferno I had subjected my poor aunt to.

"Now, I must understand the circumstances by which you came to feel the presence of your power. Were you at all aware of this power, before you lost control of it?"

I stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, trying to find the best way to explain my dreams.

"The first time... when I was coming through the barrier at kings cross, something odd happened to me. I got... stuck, or taken somewhere. I was... I dreamed that I fell into hell." At this point Snape's eyebrows rose, but he said nothing and only looked pensive. "After that, I kept having dreams. In the end, after I hurt aunty - professor McGonagall - I saw... I think I saw... well, I dreamed I had a conversation with my mother. She told me I was being hunted, and then she gave me something - but I don't know what, because when I woke up it wasn't there. I haven't dreamed since then."

The dark haired professor nodded, and said nothing for a while. I could tell he was thinking.

"If Lady Quifeor has informed you that you are being hunted then it is all the more important you are not left defenceless. Are there any other expressions of your power you can think of?"

"I kept dreaming I had wings. At kings cross, I thought I was going to miss the Hogwarts express. I got the same feeling, and I managed to jump aboard, even with my trunk."

Snape nodded. "How much do you know about the demonkin?"

I shook my head. "Nothing," I said. Snape pressed his lips together.

"The demonkin are those humans - both wizarding folk and muggle alike - who have the blood of demons in their ancestry."

He held out his hand. The room went oddly cold, and I felt a strange buzzing in my ears. A flame, pale and bright, appeared in his palm. I knew it was not wizardry, for he hadn't touched his wand.

"I, too, am demonkin." I approached him curiously, hardly knowing that I was standing at all. The flame was enchanting. Its pale light washed through the professor, smoothing his features. He seemed to take on an edge of beauty - of stateliness. His exaggerated features seemed no longer grotesque, but instead exotic; then, the light went out, and he was as batlike and overbearing as ever. I blinked.

He sneered. "The Flame of Hebe. What did you experience before the effects of the flame overtook you?"

I shook my head. All I could think of was the presence the flame had given him - and then, slowly, I remembered the buzzing in my ears, the cold of the room. I explained the sensation to him.

He nodded. "Did you feel anything similar when you lost control?"

"My eyes - and my back. I felt hot and cold at the same time, like my eyes were burning and there was something cold creeping down my back - I've felt it before, when I'm angry."

"Anything else?"

"Maybe - maybe when I dreamed about my wings. And in kings cross. I could feel them - not just the weight, but the nerves too, the feeling of the feathers and muscle." I remembered the sensation clearly - the wings had been part of me.

Snape held out his hand and conjured another flame above his palm. This time the flame was warm, yet oddly silvery. Instead of lighting the room, much of it was cast in shadow. Around the room, the various potions ingredients along the walls stood out in sharp relief. I looked back to the professor - and nearly staggered away. He was wreathed in an eldritch flame, while behind him two tall pinions of shadow swept out. His black eyes seemed to swirl with smoke. He was regarding me warily, as if he could see something different in me too, that I was not aware of.

"The flame of Apollo" he said, quietly. "There are no lies under its light, and a trained user can see many truths, as it casts away the shadows." The flame drifted up towards the ceiling. "Try to summon the feeling you spoke of."

I did as he instructed. I closed my eyes and tried to bring back that sensation - the wings on my shoulders. They had felt so real, and I could recall their presence with vivid clarity. But no matter how I thought of them, I couldn't seem to translate the memory of their presence into the power I would need to bring them forward to the physical world. I turned my attention to what I had felt when Snape first called forward the flame. This seemed more successful - the power had resonated with something inside me, and I reached for that feeling. As I did so, I felt my eyes begin to burn, and the ice on my spine. I knew it was working. I could feel power building within me - at my hands, behind my eyes, on the tip of my tongue. I reached for it greedily, power coming freely now. It was painful, too hot - but I wanted more of it. I knew I could do anything - if I wanted to, I could raze Hogwarts herself to the ground. I could make everyone pay for how I'd been treated this last week - for not accepting me, writing me off as soon as I'd been cast into a house they didn't approve of.

I thought of Malfoy, and his stupid bodyguards - the revenge I could get with power like this! The thought scorched across my mind like a fever. Even as my thoughts turned to revenge, another voice spoke within me. I felt suddenly sick. I remembered my Aunt's pained screaming in the tempest of fire that my anger had summoned. The power died as quickly as it had come, seeping back in to my skin, leaving me trembling.

I felt exhausted.

"Somewhat successful, but a crude attempt," said professor Snape. I wanted to throw up.

He spent the rest of the lesson teaching me other ways to connect with my power, but where I felt curious before, now I felt only fear. The power I had summoned was destructive, uncontrollable - instead, it seemed to control me. I hated it and the things it made me think and feel.

I lay in bed that evening, unable to sleep. My mind was rushing with all that I had learned. I knew I had to distract myself.

I was usually asleep by this point. I was careful to avoid interaction with Parkinson and Bulstrode wherever possible, so I always went to sleep before them. It was a far cry from the late to bed, late to rise girl I had been just a week ago. I sat up and took out the copy of Hogwarts a history I had borrowed from the library on Friday. I'd spent most of today reading through it, using bits of paper to bookmark the pages I thought might be relevant. The book had indeed been graffitied over the years. There were the standard hallmarks of a student's mischief - love notes and insults. Passages had been underlined here and there, and doodles drawn in the corner. An odd symbol had even been carved into the spine of the book. I wondered what had been the first marking that persuaded other people to draw on the copy.

I'd pursued the actual text of book to exhaustion. There was no clue about the sorting hat leaving messages that I could find - nothing about the house placement criteria that I didn't already know. Never the less, I felt as though the answer I needed lay within the pages of this very book - so I turned my attention to the scrawled messages.

I flipped through to the chapter on the houses and the sorting hat. Here, the symbol on the spine was repeated, in the top corner of the page - a circle inside a triangle, with a line from tip to base. I ran my finger over it. I'd seen it somewhere before, but I just couldn't place it - it was familiar in a fuzzy sort of way, like something I'd seen many times as a child and forgotten. It was as good a place as any to start, and I trusted my own intuition. There was further graffiti on the page, like many of the others. A handful of phrases and words were underlined. I copied them into my notes:

"While there is still some contention over the factors contributing towards Slytherin's departure, few can deny that the series of clashes between Salazar and his colleagues concerning the blood purity of the student body were the catalyst that lead to his shocking desertion" the word 'Blood' was underlined in black ink.

'...and thus the departure of Slytherin brought about an end to the first chapter in the history of the establishment of Hogwarts.' Both 'End' and 'Chapter' were underlined.

"A symbol of the divide between the pro and anti muggle factions" Here, the word "Symbol" was marked for attention.

'A message to all future generations that would define the foundations of modern wizarding Britain" the final underlined word on the page was "message."

I turned the page, and then the next - the rest of the chapter was unmarked.

Blood, end, chapter, symbol, message.

Was there a message somehow concealed in the text? The five words alone told me nothing. I stared at them, written in scruffy cursive handwriting, waiting for them to make some sort of sense. An anagram? I tried rearranging the letters but nothing seemed to make sense. I rearranged the words, jotting them down in different orders to see if they revealed some heretofore hidden meaning.

Chapter Symbol Message Blood End

End Chapter Blood Message Symbol

Blood Symbol End Chapter Message

Blood Symbol Chapter end Message.

They were instructions maybe? Put blood on the symbol then go to the chapter end for a message? Suddenly excited, I looked around for something to nick my finger with. There was a potions knife in my bag next to my bed. Trying to be quiet so as not to disturb my dorm mates, I reached through the emerald hangings and plucked the knife from my satchel. It glinted gold in the candle light. I licked my lips, not exactly relishing the thought of cutting my finger open. Maybe I was being a wimp, but the thought of just running my finger on the blade until it cut... it gave me the willies. Holding the knife firmly in my right hand, I cut a small nick in the tip of my little finger. A drop of blood welled up and I smeared it on the triangular symbol.

The effect was instantaneous. The symbol seemed to twist and spin, first right then left. It became an eye, slitted and cruel looking, then an eerie sun, twisting and bristling before it became a skull which broke in half and became a phoenix. The phoenix burst into a shower of feathers which trailed to the corner, urging me to turn the page. I did so, and the feathers trailed from one edge of the paper to the other, until I had turned all the way to the chapter end. The words faded off the paper to be replaced by feathers.

The feathers twisted into serpents, which became words that read "Hello, Ruby."

I nearly dropped the book. I gulped as the words sank into the paper. In their place a map appeared. It showed me as a pair of footsteps walking through the halls of Hogwarts. I watched myself walk from the slytherin common room through the staircases and passages until I came to the seventh floor corridor. The footsteps walked back and forth along the corridor three times before they stopped about midway along the corridor. The lines that had formed the map wormed away off the paper. In their place was a rather clumsily drawn sketch of a girl whispering "Mysterium" while tapping the door. The door swung open, but there was no hint of what might lie inside. The image stayed for a moment then sank into the paper, the normal text of Hogwarts, a history reappearing shortly afterwards.

I sat still for a while, waiting to see if anything else would happen. After about five minutes, hands shaking, I closed the book and lay down. I fell asleep still contemplating what might have been behind the door, and resolved to find it the very next day.

AN: Hi guys – just a quick reminder to R&R and drop me some feedback! I'll need the extra fuel now I'm out of prewritten updates!


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